


Body Positive

by Sami_Fire



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Body Image, Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-09
Updated: 2019-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 14:07:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21735916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sami_Fire/pseuds/Sami_Fire
Summary: Feeding the Lios has consequences. After Lio accidentally rips his pants and has a meltdown over the possibility of having gained a little weight, Galo has to go in and reassure him that he's still fine and healthy.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 4
Kudos: 87





	Body Positive

**Author's Note:**

> You want Soft Lio? YOU GET SOFT LIO. Please feed the Lios responsibly and don't forget to take them out for walkies on occasion.

There had been an incident.

Lio had dared to put on some old jeans the day before, and after several minutes of whining to Galo about how they didn’t feel right, he moved the wrong way and busted a decent-sized hole in the right thigh along a seam. He was so thoroughly embarrassed and appalled by the happening that he threw the pants off in the middle of the floor, blamed Galo for making him fat, and locked himself in the bedroom for the rest of the day.

Galo had tried his hardest to coax Lio out and reclaim his room, but Lio was refusing to budge, leaving him to spend the night on the couch. The next day came, and Galo had decided he needed to talk some sense into his partner.

To Galo’s relief, Lio had unlocked the bedroom door at some point. “Morning, Lio,” he called into the bedroom as he poked his head in. There he saw Lio in nothing but his underwear, splayed out on the bed and still thoroughly upset.

“I’ll pass on breakfast, thanks,” Lio grumbled, curling up and turning onto his side so he wouldn’t have to face Galo.

“You can’t pass on breakfast! It’s the most important meal of the day!” Galo entered the bedroom as he scolded Lio, then took notice of something. “This is weird. Since when am I dressed before you are?”

“No point,” Lio muttered. “I’ll just bust out of anything I put on.”

Galo clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You’re still feeling bad about the fact that you put on a few extra pounds since you moved in?”

“I don’t want to talk about it. Just leave me here with my fat ass.” Lio made a plaintive whining noise and arranged himself to curl up even tighter.

“Oh geez, you are,” Galo said as he approached. “Lio, those pants were doomed from the start. If they’re several years old, there’s no way they’d fit you right now.”

“Because you made me fat,” Lio growled, looking over his shoulder to glare daggers at Galo.

“Stop saying that already!” Galo grunted through a spasm of frustration, rushing his hands through his hair. “What part of ‘you are fine and probably a healthy weight for the first time in years’ did you not understand? Do I need to call a real doctor and have you argue with them over it?”

“Shut up,” Lio grunted. “I’ve never been fat a day in my life, and now I’m ripping my pants. Do you have any idea how that feels?”

Galo sighed, rolled his eyes, and shifted his weight. “Lemme tell you a story.” Something in Galo’s expression softened and unfocused. “Okay, so I’m pretty sure you never had this happen to you, Twiggy, but when you were growing up, did you see those kids who kinda chunked up around 12, 13, 14 or so? And then they got their growth spurts and everything evened out? I was one of those kids.”

“Really?” That was interesting enough to get Lio to roll over. He squinted at Galo, trying and failing to imagine the muscular and perpetually shirtless firefighter as a chunky kid.

“You bet. It didn’t take me very long to even out, but yeah, that was a bit of an uncomfortable time,” Galo said, pretending to pick at something under his nails.

“I bet Kray gave you a hard time about it,” Lio said, and then immediately regretted it.

“Your turn to shut up,” Galo growled, the bristling reaction almost immediate.

“Point taken,” Lio said.

The puff of tension lingered in the air for a moment as both parties tried to figure out what to say next. In typical fashion, Galo was the one to disarm it. He came close to Lio and attempted to scoot him aside in bed. “Move your perfectly fine butt,” he said.

“Yeah, yeah.” Lio sat up and scooted over to let Galo climb in next to him. Galo did so, and Lio exhaled heavily and leaned onto him. “So… now what? Breakfast?”

“I think I can do one better than that.” Galo reached over and put his arms around Lio, holding him close. "Lemme get a good look at you."

"What's there to look at?" Lio asked, staring at Galo as though he could grasp his intentions that way.

"I want to help you feel comfortable in your own skin," Galo said. “I want you to be happy. I don’t like seeing you all stressed out over things like this.”

Lio’s brows knitted, giving him a remorseful look. “Galo, you’ve done plenty for me already. You don’t need to be my therapist.”

“Who said anything about therapy?” Galo took one of Lio’s arms and studied it, carefully massaging along the bicep. “I think you’re getting a little muscle,” he remarked.

“Don’t lie just to make me feel better,” Lio grumbled, staring at Galo’s hands on his arm.

“This isn’t something I’d lie about and you know it,” Galo retorted as he released the arm and shifted his focus to Lio’s torso, stroking his chest from behind and slowly working his way downward. “Your ribs aren’t sticking out so much anymore. That’s good!”

“They stuck out?” Lio seemed puzzled by the notion.

“Yeah, just a bit. Kinda worrying, actually,” Galo responded, lowering his hands further.

Once Galo reached Lio’s stomach, Lio shuddered and attempted to block his progress. “D-don’t touch there,” he sputtered, looking mildly wounded.

“But I like your tummy,” Galo cooed. “It’s so soft and smooth.”

“I…” Lio swallowed nervously as the heat went to his face. “I am not soft.”

“Yes you are.” Galo heeded Lio’s request, keeping his attention and hands on the smaller man’s sides and back. “It’s okay. I think your body’s just healing up after all the hell it went through. So what if you fluffed up a little?” To make a point, he pinched a spot on Lio’s side. “See? No love handles, even. And if you had ‘em, I’d be using ‘em!” Galo laughed at his own bad joke and got solidly elbowed in the face for it.

“Can you not?!” Lio rubbed the elbow he’d jabbed Galo with, gritting his teeth and looking like the angriest kicked puppy.

“Ow, okay, okay, maybe that went a little over the line,” Galo grumbled as he rubbed his face. “C’mon, stop looking at me like that. Relax and let me love you.”

Lio gulped down his nerves once more and mulled over Galo’s request for him to relax. “You and your constant outpouring of affection,” he grumbled. “Even when you act like an idiot, you make it hard for me to stay angry for too long.” Eventually, he scooted himself into Galo’s lap and leaned back into him. “Go ahead. We’ll see if you can make me feel any better about this situation.”

“Sounds like a challenge, and you know I never say no to a challenge,” Galo quipped. He placed his hands on Lio’s shoulders, gently massaging and working his way down to the rest of his back. “Just take it easy.”

The gentle contact had a potent effect. Lio relaxed and leaned back into the touch, closing his eyes to take it in. “You always make it feel so good,” he said softly. “Give me more. Pay attention to the rest of me.” He released soft, gasping moans as Galo stroked over his body, and he couldn’t help but tilt his head back in sensual ecstasy. As wild as the firefighter could be, he always knew how to measure himself when Lio needed it, something that puzzled him but that he was always thankful for.

Galo continued massaging where he went, handling Lio with utmost care. “I love every inch of you and every ounce of you, no matter how many inches or ounces there are,” he whispered, slowly embracing Lio from behind.

Even if Lio wanted to raise an issue with the statement, he couldn’t. The attention he was receiving washed away his insecurities, bit by bit. He even let Galo touch his stomach after a while, even if he shuddered at first as a spasm of anxiety flushed through him. It felt too good for him to object to in the end, and he let his partner prove to him that he was fine as he was.

After a certain point, Lio felt he got the message, finally feeling settled enough to accept that there was nothing to be upset over. He adjusted himself to lean back and give Galo a soft kiss on the cheek, the only place possible given his angle.

Galo chuckled and gave Lio’s side a pat. “Do you feel better?” he asked. “I’ll let you turn around so you can try that again.”

“Well, I realize now I might have been a bit overdramatic,” Lio replied, moving out of Galo’s lap and shifting so that he could lean forward for a true kiss on the lips. “Is that better?” he asked once they parted.

“Gee, you think?” Galo reached forward and gave Lio’s hair an affectionate ruffling. “And yes, much better.”

“It was just a shock,” Lio muttered. “Perhaps I brought it on myself. I did raid the cookie jar for a midnight snack a few times this week.”

“So that’s where the cookies have been going!” Galo grinned at the revelation. “I mean, they’re there for you, but maybe you should use a little self-control after midnight, you know?”

“Look who’s telling me to use self-control,” Lio said with a chuckle.

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Galo waved Lio off. “The point of all this is that you can’t completely blame yourself or me for what happened. It’s just an adjustment. It’s not necessarily a bad thing.”

“You may be right.” Lio sighed and moved over so he could lean into Galo from the side. “But I suppose I’m not doing myself any favors with all the sugar.”

“If you’re really that concerned, I’ll help you cut back,” Galo said. “And I’ll drag you with me when I go to work out.”

“Don’t you already do that?” Lio asked, quirking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, but this time I’ll push you a little harder. You’d better brace yourself!” Galo laughed at his own comment and gave Lio a hard pat on the back.

Lio rolled his eyes. “Oh, goodie. I’ll just tell myself that it’ll be worth it in the end.”

“You know it will be!” Galo gave Lio one last hair ruffling. “Are you up for breakfast now?”

“I guess so,” Lio muttered as he attempted to straighten out his hair. “Pancakes today?”

“All that drama and you still want pancakes?” Galo grinned as he shifted to get out of bed. “You are so weird sometimes.”

“Who are you calling weird? Don’t forget that I haven’t eaten since yesterday morning.” Lio looked down as something occurred to him. “Thanks to you, I’m not used to going a day without food anymore.”

“You shouldn’t have to be,” Galo said. “Anyway, that makes it all the more important that I make you something healthy. Sounds like a day for protein!” He stood up and began making his way out of the bedroom. “I’ll see you out there!”

“Let me get dressed,” Lio called after him.

“You can eat in your undies if you want. That’s fine with me!” Galo called back, laughing.

Lio couldn’t help but smile even as he grumbled. Somehow, Galo always had the ability to soothe him, regardless of the context of a given issue. Before he got dressed, he took a nervous breath and studied himself in the bedroom mirror. The flaws he thought he’d seen the day before seemed to be gone, or at least less prominent. He thought back on what Galo had said about him, about how he might be gaining muscle, about how he looked less sickly thin and about how his skin was soft and smooth. It seemed that what he had originally thought was a degradation of his body was in fact his body regaining some lost luster.

A sense of relief washed over him. He had overreacted. It felt good to feel good about himself, and he finally felt like he could face the world again. Stepping away from the mirror, he threw on some pajama shorts and one of Galo’s leftover shirts before leaving the bedroom to join his partner at last.

**Author's Note:**

> Is this body worship of some sort? I have no idea lolololol.
> 
> The thing about Galo being a chunky kid was actually inspired by a piece of fanart I saw for an AU where Galo and Lio found the Promare as children. Little Galo was drawn a bit thicker than Lio, which is a reasonable assumption given Lio's perpetual skinniness, but it got me thinking.


End file.
